Single-plate clutch



May 14, 1929.

s. A. STRANAHAN SINGLE PLATE CLUTCH Filed July 551-, 1926 llllllll lill Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED `s'riires Parser orrori;

SAMUEL A. STRAllAI-Irll, Oli' IFLINT, MICHG'AN, AElSIGflOll TD lllTORS COR- PORATION, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, .il COlltiTfR-.Alll 0F DELAWARE.

SINGLEELATE CLUTCH.

Application filed July 31,

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in friction clutches of the single plate type7 and more particularly to the construction and arrangement ol? a clutch release yoke to minimize end thrust due to the resistance of the engaging springssaiid eliminate the customary .reducing levers. The clutch is particularly adaptable for use in connection Vwith an explosive engine for propelling automobiles, but obviously is not limited to such use alone. f

In the common form of single plate clutch,

drivingl Contact is madethru axial spring' pressure, which necessarily high to insure positive commotion. This i'uessure ollers quite a degree of resistance to the nlanual control of the clutch thru the customary foot pedal, and places considerable end thrust ou the clutch shaft. It has been the practice to employ three or more reducing` levers in the clutch to relieve the pressure, but it is difficult to maintain these reducing levers in proper adjustment and since thejgT revolve with tlielclutch are apt to rattle and become noisy. i

An object of the present `inventimi to eliminate the necessity for revoluble reducing levers by connecting the pressure phte to a single operating lever in such .manner that 'liriction and conseipieijitWear is reduced to a minimum and but slight manual effort will be required to control the clutch operation.

In the drawing: Y

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a single plate clutch mechanism illustrating the arrangement of parte in accordance with the present invention. y

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The numeral 13 refers to the hell shaped housing' carried by the cranlecar-:e of an plosive engine, to enclose the flywheel 1() secured to an end flange on the crankshaft 11 by bolts 12, and also the clutch mechanism. The transmission housing' is shown as formed integrally With the flywheel housing' 13, being;l broken away at the riuht of lli 1ure 1. Mounted in the end of the flywheel housing 13 is the ball. lwaringg; 21 for u clutch shaft 14, which shaft formed with a reduced end7 piloted in a central bore in. the end of the crankshaft 11. Splined tothe clutch shaft 14; for revoluble movement 192e. serial No. leeres.

therewith is the driven plate er disc 15. with si table friction rings 1G secured thereto for contactrespectively with the flywheel 1l) and a. press-sure or ltlnust plate 1S.y lreyed to the flywheel, as by means Aof a, series of grooves in its periphery as at 8 and the studs 9 on the flywheell The plate 20, bolted to the flywheel provides seats for the pressure springs 19 which exert their force against the thrust plate 155 to maintain clutch engagement. il sleeve 17 surrounds the shaft 11i and has engagement With the thrust plate 1S by means oit' a friction reducing; bearing` 7. An adjinitable screw threaded collar 2) carried at the end olf the sleeve 17 and locked in position `by means oi' a @spline 3() seailiru;l in a peripheral groove in the collar and having .itsI extremity projecting thru regislering;` holes :in the collar and sleeve. The clutch release volte 25 has an openingl 27 :-:;urrounding thesleeve, and a. pairof epposite ii'iwardly projecting` lugsor ears 28 engaging with the collars 29. Pivotal ears are providedlor the yolre 25, and a bolt passes thru the ears and a iup' 2s; carried upon the plate 22, secured to the housing' 18,".ipreierahly hynieaus of a number or screwthreaded studs 23. In addition `lo forming' a mounting` for the lug he plate 22 serves to retain `the heariiugI iueifnber 21 for the clutch shaft. .in primer position. The yoke lever 25 projects thru the housing 13 and may be connected at its end in any suitable nianner to a foot pedal. It will be noted that the 'ii'llcrum point is closely adjacent the load While the yoke has quite a lonsr leverage.

To disengage the clutch, the outer end el" the yole is d awn rearwardly, so that the ears 28 engage the collar 29 to more the sleeve 17 longitudinally, carrying with .it the thrust plate 18, against the tension el.i the pressure springs 19. As the plate 16S celupresscs the springs the frictioual contant is broken and the clutch disc is relieved of engine driving' power.

Thus the clutch release yolre reduces the load at the foot pedal or other manually controlled lever, olwial'ing the necessity of revoluble reduciuel levers and eliminates the objectionable end pressure on. the sl'iait.

lllhile the construction has been described more or less specifically, there is no intention to limit the invention to the particular details, but obvious modifications may be made such as come within the scope. of the appended claims I claim:

1. In combination, a driving element, a. drivenelement, a clutch to transmit motion "from the driving to the driven element, in-

cluding a thrust plate, pressure springs adapted to act on said thrust plate to maintain driving engagement, a longitudinally movable sleeve on which said thrust plate is mounted for free relative rotation, an

adjustable collar onv said'sleeve, means to hold vsaid collar'in adjusted position, a housing for the clutch, an anti-friction bearing carried by the housing for the driven element, a retainer element for said bearing, and operating lever pivoted to said retainer element having an opening surrounding the sleeve and bearing surfaces engaging said collar, whereby the operation ot the lever overcomes spring pressure and disengages the clutch.

2. In combinatioma driving element, a driven element, a-cluteh to transmit motion from the driving to the driven element, in-

cluding a thrust plate, yielding tension means ducing bearing mounted in said housing for the driven element, a'retainer plate for said bearing, and an operating lever pivoted to i fsaid plate ata pointadjacent the axis of the sleeve and extending to a point removed fromthe housing, :having an opening surrounding the Vsleeve and apair of oppositely Adisposed ears engaging said collar, whereby the operation of the lever controls the trietional driving contact.

3. In a. friction clutch, a pair of driving dises, a driven disc between said driving dises, yielding tension means exerting torce against one of the driving dises to maintain driving contact between the discs, a longitiulinally movable sleeve operatively connected with the tensioned disc, an adjustable collar on said sleeve, a C-spring carried by the colla r, an extremity ol' which is adapted to extend thru the collar and sleeve to lock the sleeve in adjusted position, a casing for the dises, an operating'yole surrouinling the sleeve, having abutment surfaces to engage said collar, one end of the yoke being pivot'ed to said casing close to the sleeve while the opposite end projects thru the easing to a point removed a considerable, distance trom the sleeve, enabling a comparatively small effort exerted on the yoke to overcome the yielding tension means.

4. In combination, a driving element, a driven element, a clutch to transmitV motion from the driving to the driven element, ineluding a longitudinally movable lsleeve surrounding t'he driven element, a thrust plate revolubly carried by the sleeve, spring tension means acting on said plate t'or yieldingly maintaining clutch engagement, an adjustable thrust collar on said sleeve means to hold t-he collar in adjusted position, a housing for the clutch, a bearing in said housing for the driven element, a retainer plate for said bearing, and a control lever pivotally mounted on said retainer plate for engagement with the thrust collar to disengage the clutch against spring tension.

In testimony whereof l atliX my signature,

SAMUEL A. STRANAHAN. 

